Hi Steve
Which countries did you mainly sell records to?
thanks
Jim
Ā£40K for 700 records? Thatās nearly Ā£60 a pop ā¦
The market for my records was almost exclusivly international as I say. The biggest buyers were USA, Brazil, France, Germany, Spain and Australia. I obviously shipped to other places as well but not in anywhere near the same quantities.
I did not use the eBay International Shipping program (GSP) as that limits the audience and adds big tax costs on for the customer.
Some people like to negotiate so you can use a Best Offer function if you like but price high so when you accept a deal you are still getting what you want for the record.
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That sounds about right. I hardly sold any for less than Ā£25. Most would have been between Ā£45-70 with a few MEGA expensive ones in there. A fair chunk went for hundreds each. I had a slight advantage in that I had a good idea of value before selling them.
The key is the detail. Thats what brings the money in. There are people out there that want every version of every album and they will pay. You only need one buyer for a record!
I find it heartening that in 700 medium value transactions you never once got scammed.
The one I fear is that someone will buy an expensive item from me via eBay, then claim it was broken, and post back something else to me and demand the money back from PayPal.
I donāt know how to defend oneself against that.
Jim
Good going that Steve. Donāt let my missus find out though ā¦
And Jim, the only trouble Iāve had with eBay is when buying vinyl.
Iād been buying some moderately priced albums, Ā£15 - Ā£25 say, and been quite happy with the results. I only ever bid on M or NM items because thatās how I feel my own vinyl is (Bobthebuilder this is how I view my collection personally, not how Iād market them for sale).
Then I had a string of disastrous purchases where the vinyl fell way short of the description.
Maybe 8 or 10 LPās out of 20 where the vinyl turned up grubby or clearly displayed that they were not the cherished item the seller alluded to. I took a gamble on one described as āhaving light surface marks which do not affect the soundā. I was expecting the light swirls you sometimes get taking vinyl out of a tight cardboard sleeve. It looked more like a park bench some sweethearts had carved their names into.
Most of the sellers were fine and accepted a return. A couple even said keep it (in which case I took it to the local charity shop, got a receipt and emailed a copy). then finally one woman contested it and replied āyouāve got a reputation on here for saying vinyl did not meet the descriptionā. To cut a long story short eBay intervened and removed her negative feedback but the experience put me off second hand vinyl.
Anyway good luck selling off your collection.
Regards,
Steve O.
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Agree - that is impressive Steve!
Likewise - buying vinyl has been a little hit and miss hereā¦ Of late, Iāve had a few disappointing buying experiences on eBay. Exactly the same scenario where the disc & cover condition have been exaggerated somewhat, with a record listed as NM actually being closer to G, VG if lucky. Rather frustrating.
Worst experience was a multiple buy from one sellerā¦ Disc 1, rare colour vinyl advertised - black vinyl received. Disc 2 listed as sealed and new - opened and played. Disc 3 surface noise so severe - unplayable. Disc 4 listed as NM - barely F, more like P. eBay case raised, full refund on all. Described as a āretailerāā¦then checked their address on Google earth, yep, their premisses matched their listing exaggeration!
In cases like this I usually go through ebay and request a refund / return. Or, if a rare LP in excellent + cosmetic condition, iāve kept and persisted, cleaning it a couple of times - which usually helps improve surface noise. Only had one disc where repeated cleaning left little to no improvement, luckily it was only a couple of pounds and was an add on to the main sale of four records (rest were fine). Would have been more expensive to return.
Some (many) eBay sellers are capitalising on the vinyl resurgence and are just selling collections off from storage, their turntable having made like Elvis and left the building long ago. Test playing records prior to sale is not possible and then listings are based on visual condition alone (often exaggerated too).
Before committing, I now always ask the vendor if there is any surface noise on playback and that helps separate out the trustworthy sellers who are willing to answer questions in detail. Luckily there are some good guys out and their listings are described accurately. Checking feedback essential as that speaks volumes.
Iām now visiting secondhand record shops and attending record fairs pretty frequently - much more effort, but the LP condition can be clearly examined and prices negotiated.
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Hi Steve
Did you put them on āGood Til Cancelledā - or on an automatically repeating auction basis?
Did you use a āBuy it Nowā price or āBest Offerā?
thanks
Jim
I listed a lot of them on the 30 day listing which is now GTC for private sellers as well. What I did was use the Ā£1 maximum final value fee offer (and still do) I would relist all of the most expensive ones each time and add new so almost everything I sold was at a fee of Ā£1! I still delist everything and relist it everytime I get the offer. It comes every few weeks usually.
Auction is pretty risky unless you are desperate for a hit of cash in one go.
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Hi Steve
So if the LPās a reissue, do you state something like ā1982 UK Reissueā in the text - and also in the title of the item?
Sometimes it takes a lot of research on Discogs to establish exactly what date and country of issue the record is. (Is there anywhere better to look than Discogs?)
Thanks
Jim
Hey @JimDog I could tell by looking what everything was as it was part of a collection. Collectors are a certain breed! We know the detail!! I would use Discogs and Popsike for pricing. If its popular you can check ended listings on eBay for prices.
Key details for me are.
1.) Use all 12 pictures. Show front, back, spine, corners where possible, both sides of complete record, close ups of labels both sides, Matrix details is possible.
2.) Use record grading standards in the condition field and explain the condition ie VG+/NM Record is in VG+ condition and shows some hairline marks that do not affect play. All records examined under bright light. Records kept in a temperature controlled environment and stored in plastic protective covers. Blah blahā¦
3.) With the title be descriptive. First 3 words count most. If its a second pressing state that. Band, album, vinyl colour, LP or Single, any special notes, condition ie NM Mega Rare is a nice finisher or variants of that phrase. Remember ārarityā is subjective.
4.) Use the same description for all records. Totally generic but just have a one/two liner in giving title and condition. The rest can be about how great you are as a seller and why people should buy from you. Give them confidence that you know what you are doing.
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Yes. Cancelling then relisting expensive items is a good idea, now that GTC seems to compulsory.
I listed a projector for Ā£180 buy it now, with the Ā£1 maximum final value fee offer. It sold after approx 40 days and I was charged Ā£18 selling fees.
I concur 
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